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Russia’s Putin holds talks with China’s Hu

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin held talks with China’s president on Wednesday, after saying negotiations to secure a huge gas deal with the world’s top energy consumer were progressing.
Putin, in Beijing on his first foreign visit since he announced plans to reclaim the Russian presidency, said after meeting China’s Premier Wen Jiabao Tuesday that talks [...]

Read More » No commentOctober 12, 2011

Putin arrives in China after $7 bln deals

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for talks with Chinese leaders, a day after his gas-rich nation signed deals worth over $7 billion with the world’s top energy consumer.
Putin is due to meet his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao and President Hu Jintao on his two-day visit — his [...]

Read More » No commentOctober 11, 2011

China counts down to space module launch

China will take its first step towards building a space station on Thursday when it launches an experimental module ahead ofNational Day celebrations.
The Asian nation sees its ambitious space programme as a symbol of its global stature and state media said the launch of Tiangong-1, or “Heavenly Palace”, represented a “milestone” for the country.
Tiangong-1 is scheduled to take [...]

Read More » No commentSeptember 29, 2011

The India-Vietnam Axis

New Delhi sees Hanoi as a counterweight to Beijing, in the same way as Beijing sees Islamabad.
 
India is the latest country to get drawn into the South China Sea dispute. Earlier this month, Beijing told New Delhi that its permission was needed for India’s state-owned oil and gas firm to explore for energy in two [...]

Read More » No commentSeptember 24, 2011

Deadly landslide in South Korea mountain resort

At least 10 people are dead and several missing after heavy rain triggered a landslide in a mountain resort in northern South Korea.
Hundreds of rescuers have been sifting through rubble and mud to find survivors in Chuncheon, about 100km (60 miles) east of Seoul.
Hotels, restaurants and coffee shops were wrecked when the slide occurred just [...]

Read More » No commentJuly 27, 2011

India closer to opening up $450 bln retail sector

A top Indian government panel has approved a plan to allow foreign direct investment (FDI) in the country’s vast retail market in what would be one of the country’s biggest economic reforms.
But it said investors would have to put in at least $100 million to set up multibrand retail stores and would only [...]

Read More » No commentJuly 24, 2011

Bank of Moscow is To Be Provided With State Aid

Bank of Moscow will be provided with state aid at lucrative conditions for the current shareholders: the bank will receive a 10 year loan at only 0.51% interest rate. However, according to the data provided, more than a half of the bank’s gross loans are to be treated as bad loans, which cast a shadow [...]

Carrefour, Casino Fight It Out Over Brazil Deal

French supermarket giants Carrefour and Casino traded further blows Monday over their operations in Brazil, a key market where both are claiming a tie-up with the same huge local company.
Casino is fighting to keep its alliance with longtime Brazilian partner CBD Pao de Acucar, which Carrefour has courted in a bid to build up its [...]

Gold Headed to $1618

While equities and cyclical commodities have tumbled in recent months, the price of gold remains within 2% of its all-time record high. Although the ongoing sovereign debt crisis in Greece has served as a catalyst for the gold price in recent days, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting is likely to take center [...]

Read More » No commentJune 27, 2011

Hong Kong GDP Improves

Hong Kong’s GDP up 7.2% in Q-1
Hong Kong’s gross domestic product (GDP) went up 7.2% in real terms in Q-1 of Y 2011 from a year earlier, compared with the 6.4% increase in Q-4 of Y 2010, the city’s Census and Statistics Department announced Monday.
According to the department, analyzed by constituent sector and on a [...]

Read More » No commentJune 21, 2011